Water scarcity has become a constraint for regional economic development in many cities and regions. Water rationing serves as one instrument to constrain water consumption to persuade users to save water and to moderate their consumption. When the supply of water is unable to satisfy demand, a loss of welfare ...

Abstract Aim: To verify the potential role and feasibility of carbidopa premedication in pediatric patients undergoing (18)F-DOPA (Fluorine-18 fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine) PET scanning. Materials and Methods: For this limited study, 5 patients (M:F=3:2; mean age 4.8 years) with a positive history for neuroblastoma who had been referred to our institution for instrumental ...

The total synthesis of plakotenin, a cytotoxic marine natural product, using a biomimetic Diels-Alder reaction is described in detail. Two approaches were used, whereby the Diels-Alder reaction occurs at different stages of the synthesis. Homo- and nor-plakotenin, related natural products, were also prepared, as well as iso-plakotenin, a diastereoisomer of ...

Introduction.  The relational domain of erectile dysfunction (ED) is difficult to investigate in a clinical setting. We developed and validated SIEDY, a 13-item structured interview, that evaluates, besides the organic (Scale 1) and intra-psychic (Scale 3) domains, also the relational one (Scale 2). We previously established a pathological threshold for ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: High endothelial venules (HEV) have been recognized to play a role in metastasis by its changes seen in the cancer microenvironment of lymph nodes (LN) and solid cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue is a prevalent tumor of the head and neck region with high propensity ...

Purpose:Autosomal recessive congenital short bowel syndrome is caused by mutations in CLMP. No mutations were found in the affected males of a family with presumed X-linked congenital short bowel syndrome or in an isolated male patient. Our aim was to identify the disease-causing mutation in these patients.Methods:We performed mutation analysis ...

In Alabidopsis thaliana, the circadian clock regulates the diurnal and photoperiodic plant growth including the elongation of hypocotyls in a time-of-day-specific and short-days (SDs)-specific manner. The clock-controlled PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 encoding a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor plays crucial roles in this regulation. PIF4 is transcribed precociously at the end ...

SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: This study demonstrates that visualization of peripheral lung lesions by endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is significantly influenced by lesion size, malignancy status and distance from hilum to lesion. Emphasis on those factors should lead to increased EBUS diagnostic yield. ABSTRACT: Background and study objective:   Endobronchial ultrasound ...

Halogenated inhaled anesthetics modulate voltage-gated ion channels by unknown mechanisms. Biophysical analyses revealed novel activation of K(v) channels by the inhaled anesthetic sevoflurane. K(v) channel activation by sevoflurane results from the positive allosteric modulation of activation gating. The unique activation of K(v) channels by sevoflurane demonstrates novel anesthetic specificity and ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Directional preferences during center-out horizontal shoulder-elbow movements were previously established for both the dominant and non-dominant arm with the use of a free-stroke drawing task that required random selection of movement directions. While the preferred directions were mirror-symmetrical in both arms, they were attributed to a tendency specific ...

BACKGROUND: The importance of basic surgical skills is entirely agreed among surgical educators. However, restricted by ethical issues, finance etc, the basic surgical skills training is increasingly challenged. Increasing cost gives an impetus to the development of cost-effective training models to meet the trainees' acquisition of basic surgical skills. In ...

Diarrheal diseases are major problem of developing countries. Though precise data on childhood mortality associated with diarrheal diseases in Nepal is not available, it has been estimated that approximately 25% of child death are associated with diarrheal disease, particularly acute diarrhea. The purpose of this study was to assess the ...

In his classic paper, 'Why abortion is immoral', Don Marquis argues that what makes killing an adult seriously immoral is that it deprives the victim of the valuable future he/she would have otherwise had. Moreover, Marquis contends, because abortion deprives a fetus of the very same thing, aborting a fetus ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been established as a treatment option for inoperable patients with symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. However, patients suffer frequently from conduction disturbances after TAVI. METHODS: Baseline, procedural as well as surface and intracardiac ECG parameters were evaluated for patients treated with TAVI and ...

We report a new recipe to synthesize heterogeneous catalyst arrays using the space specificity of an embodied micelle. Also, SEM, AFM, STEM, and TXRF analyses prove that these catalysts are of exposed core-shell types. Furthermore, their structures were found to allow the design of a high performance photocatalyst for water ...

Background and purpose: Clinical reasoning is a core tenet of physical therapy practice leading to optimal patient care. The purpose of this case was to describe the outcomes, subjective experience, and reflective clinical reasoning process for a child with cerebral palsy using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health ...

Study Type - Therapy (RCT) Level of Evidence 1b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Use of balloon dilatation leads to less blood transfusion rates than metallic dilators. Plasma vaporization leads to less blood loss than balloon dilatation in this study. The study evaluates a novel ...

The introduction of voids in a magnetic thin-film alters the stray field distribution and enables the tailoring of the corresponding physical properties. Here we present a detailed study on thin magnetic nanohole arrays (NhAs) grown on top of hexagonally-ordered anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) substrates. We address the effect of AAO ...

The thalamus occupies a pivotal position within the corticobasal ganglia-cortical circuits. In Parkinson's disease (PD), the thalamus exhibits pathological neuronal discharge patterns, foremost increased bursting and oscillatory activity, which are thought to perturb the faithful transfer of basal ganglia impulse flow to the cortex. Analogous abnormal thalamic discharge patterns develop ...

This manuscript concerns the tissue-specific transcription of mouse and cattle glutamate decarboxylase-like protein 1 (GADL1) and the biochemical activities of human GADL1 recombinant protein. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that GADL1 appears late in evolution, only being found in reptiles, birds, and mammals. RT-PCR determined that GADL1 mRNA is transcribed at high ...

The Kobayashi aldol reaction is one of the most powerful methods to synthesize the polyketide skeleton and has been applied to the total synthesis of natural products. This methodology has been used to construct anti-aldol products, and only a few precedents on the syn-selective Kobayashi aldol reaction are known. A ...

ABSTRACT: Edwardsiella tarda is one of the serious fish pathogens, infecting both cultured and wild fish species. Research on edwardsiellosis has revealed that E. tarda has a broad host range and geographic distribution, and contains important virulence factors that enhance bacterial survival and pathogenesis in hosts. Although recent progress in ...

Oxidized horse cytochorme c (cyt c) has been shown to oligmerize by domain swapping its C-terminal helix successively. We show that the structural and thermodynamic properties of dimeric Hydrogenobacter thermophilus (HT) cytochrome c(552) (cyt c(552)) and dimeric horse cyt c are different, although both proteins belong to the cyt c ...

Mitochondria complex II (succinate dehydrogenase, SDH) plays a central role in respiratory metabolism as a component of both the electron transport chain and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. We report the identification of an SDH assembly factor by analysis of T-DNA insertions in At5g51040, a protein with unknown function that was ...

Abstract This study examined whether urine dipstick testing might be useful to predict the development of acute kidney injury after an ultramarathon. Participants in the 2011 161-km Western States Endurance Run underwent post-race blood and urine dipstick analyses. Of the 310 race finishers, post-race urine dipstick testing was completed on ...

Abstract Background: Persons with type 1 diabetes who use electronic self-help tools, most commonly blood glucose meters, record a large amount of data about their personal condition. Mobile phones are powerful and ubiquitous computers that have a potential for data analysis, and the purpose of this study is to explore ...

Background:Optimal doses of iv glucocorticoids for Graves' orbitopathy (GO) are undefined.Methods:We carried out a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial to determine efficacy and safety of three doses of iv methylprednisolone in 159 patients with moderate to severe and active GO. Patients were randomized to receive a cumulative dose of 2.25, 4.98, ...

ABSTRACT: Personalized treatment is highly desirable in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) because it is an immensely heterogeneous disease. This heterogeneity is seen in both the disease course and the treatment responses. Currently, a combination of clinical features and imaging parameters in MRI is used to classify active/non-active patients and treatment responders/non-responders. ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to report the clinical profile and outcome of longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM). METHODS: We prospectively studied adult patients who presented with LETM from January 2008 to December 2011. Information on demographic, clinical course, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and outcome was collected. HLA-DRB1 ...

Assembly of Zn(NO(3) )(2) with the tripodal ligand H(3) TCPB (1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenoxy)benzene) affords two porous isoreticular metal-organic frameworks, [Zn(3) (TCPB)(2) ⋅2DEF]⋅ 3DEF (1) and [Zn(3) (TCPB)(2) ⋅2H(2) O]⋅ 2H(2) O⋅4DMF (2). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1) /c and possesses a 2D network ...

Study Type - Diagnosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? MRI has been shown to improve prostate cancer detection rates. Pinto et al. (J Urol 2011; 86: 1281-5) reported their outcomes on 101 patients with low, moderate or high suspicion lesions ...

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Clinical stage is an integral part of outlining treatment strategy and counselling patients with bladder cancer. The discordance rate between clinical stage and pathological stage, however, is currently high with more than 40% of patients with presumed organ-confined disease ...

Three pillar[n]arenes (n = 8-10) were synthesized. X-ray analysis demonstrated that, different from early reported small pillar[n]arenes (n = 5, 6), these larger macrocycles gave rise to two cavities. (1)H NMR and MS experiments revealed that pillar[9]arene complexed one n-octyltrimethyl ammonium in chloroform, while pillar[10]arene could complex two.

Background: Childhood stunting has been associated with an increased risk of obesity in adulthood, but the causes are unclear. This study hypothesizes that stunting significantly reduces both resting and activity energy expenditure. Aim: To assess and describe energy expenditure of low socio-economic Maya children and to determine whether stunting is ...

Background:We have previously shown an increased incidence of intermittent hypoxemic events (IH) in preterm infants with severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Animal models suggest that patterns of IH events may play a role in ROP severity as well. We hypothesize that specific IH patterns are associated with ROP in preterm ...

Astroblastoma is a rare glial tumor with uncertain histopathological origin and unpredictable clinical behavior. We present a case of an 11-year-old girl who presented with headache and blurring of vision for 2 months. A well-demarcated mass was found in the right frontoparietal lobe on a brain MRI. The patient was ...

The Ireland-Claisen rearrangement is the central step in the synthesis of tubuphenylalanine, a key building block of the highly antitumor-active tubulysins. The rearrangement of substituted β-amino acid allyl esters, in combination with subsequent decarboxylation and oxidative cleavage of the double bond, allows the highly stereoselective introduction of substituents into the ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Sepsis-associated delirium (SAD) increases morbidity in septic patients and, therefore, factors contributing to SAD should be further characterized. One possible mechanism might be the impairment of cerebrovascular autoregulation (AR) by sepsis, leading to cerebral hypo- or hyperperfusion in these haemodynamically unstable patients. Therefore, the present study investigates the ...

Abstract Objectives: The impact of myocardial bridge (MB) on left ventricular (LV) systolic synchrony is insufficiently understood. Design: 35 subjects with isolated mid-left anterior descending artery (LAD) MB, preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF>50%), and otherwise normal coronary angiogram were identified from 3607 patients underwent diagnostic coronary angiography and were evaluated ...

In this work, we present a synthesis approach for nitrogen-doped graphene-sheet-like nanostructures via the graphitization of a heteroatom polymer, in particular polyaniline, under the catalysis of a cobalt species using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as a supporting template. The graphene-rich composite catalysts (Co-N-MWNTs) exhibit substantially improved activity for oxygen reduction ...

BACKGROUND: Recently, a polymorphism in the LIGHT gene was shown to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in a genome-wide association study (GWAS). OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate if serum levels of LIGHT were affected by this polymorphism and by the disease itself. METHODS: Serum levels of LIGHT ...

Cyanobacteria acclimate to high-light conditions by adjusting photosystem stoichiometry through a decrease of photosystem I (PSI) abundance in thylakoid membranes. As PSI complexes bind the majority of chlorophyll (Chl) in cyanobacterial cells it is accepted that the mechanism controlling PSI level/synthesis is tightly associated with the Chl biosynthetic pathway. However, ...

Abstract Objective: To assess changes in quality of life (QOL) and pain in raloxifene-treated Japanese women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Research Design and Methods: This prospective, postmarketing observational study was conducted at 60 Japanese hospitals from September 2007 to February 2009 and included Japanese women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who were new ...

The bioactivity guided fractionation of the dichloromethane extract of Mitracarpus frigidus afforded the pyranonaphthoquinone psychorubrin. This compound, hitherto unknown in the genus Mitracarpus, had its biological activity evaluated against one panel of bacteria and two fungi, three tumor cell lines (HL60, Jurkat and MCF-7) and four Leishmania species. Its identity ...

Rock-salt-based honeycomb structures containing Te(VI) and Sb(V) with innumerable prospects of properties and applications were realized in the two new series of mixed-metal oxides of lithium, Li(8)M(2)Te(2)O(12) (M(II) = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) and Li(8)M(2)Sb(2)O(12) (M(III) = Cr, Fe, Al, Ga). The structures of Li(8)Co(2)Te(2)O(12) and Li(8)Cu(2)Te(2)O(12) were determined by ...

Background: This study evaluates the prevalence of cardiovascular events in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients. Methods: We distributed surveys to 1,439 subjects from our ADPKD research database. In total, 426 subjects completed and returned surveys; 7 of these were from children and were excluded from the study. Results: ...

Expression of exogenous DNA or small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vitro is significantly affected by the particular delivery system utilized. In this study, we evaluated the transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA and siRNA into human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) and meningioma cells, which constitute the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, a ...

N-Succinimidyl 3-(di-tert-butyl[(18)F]fluorosilyl)benzoate ([(18)F]SiFB) is a highly reactive prosthetic group for radiolabeling of proteins for use in positron emission tomography (PET). It is similar to N-succinimidyl-4-[(18)F]fluorobenzoate ([(18)F]SFB), the 'gold-standard' prosthetic group for protein (18)F-labeling, but can be synthesized using a much shorter and technically easier procedure. A recently reported simple procedure ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: We describe the health of "revolving door" patients in general practice in Scotland, estimate changes in their number over the timescale of the study, and explore reasons for changes, particularly related to NHS and government policy. METHODS: A mixed methods predominantly qualitative study, using a grounded theory approach, ...

The divalent lanthanide borohydrides [Ln(BH(4))(2)(THF)(2)] (Ln = Eu, Yb) have been prepared in a straightforward approach. The europium compound shows blue luminescence in the solid state, having a quantum yield of 75%. Nonradiative deactivation of C-H and B-H oscillator groups could be excluded in the perdeuterated complex [Eu(BD(4))(2)(d(8)-THF)(2)], which showed ...